This is the image I dream when I think of Italy--Hills lined with grapevines, green and brown hues, ancient, yet preserved buildings, and ruins. We left for Italy on a Tuesday amidst the California wildfires and the threat that utility power would be shut down to customers near the areas burning. We had planned this trip all year, so we were not going to let anything stand in the way.
Upon arrival on Day 1, we met up with Barbara, our host at the Amazing Piazza Venezia Suites. She helped get us acquainted with Rome by sharing her tips, advice and recommendations. This included use of the mobile app Taxi Now to travel around longer city distances. Barbara also recommended a wonderful café nearby for coffee, breakfast and sandwiches. We started out our morning by taking Barbara's advice and having breakfast at Caffe' Roma Antica Enoteca, Via di S. Eufemia, 5, 00187 Roma RM, Italy. From this day on, Caffe Roma became our morning "go to" place for breakfast. Each day, the staff would greet us and take our order until we no longer had to state what we wanted. The staff knew what to begin preparing as we walked through the door.
One evening, several days later, we surprised the Caffe' Roma staff by coming in for dessert. Even if we walked about the neighborhood, the staff would wave to us with big smiles. We felt like family.
With jet lag on our first day, we took a long rest after breakfast, only to venture out in the evening for dinner at the late Travel Channel host Anthony Bourdain's recommended restaurant, Cacio e Pepe.
On Day 2, we boarded a Hop On Hop Off bus to get introduced to Rome, as we so often do on the first day at our travel destination.
This is Piazza Venezia with its refreshing fountain in front. Piazza Venezia was half a block from our Amazing Suites apartment, the base for our stay for the week. We could see Piazza Venezia from our living room balcony. This piazza, translated to square, is the central hub of Rome's intersecting cobblestone, circular streets, ample bus transportation lines, tour operator pick-up and drop-off points, and overall a bustling area. The focal point of the Piazza Venezia is also the most famous monument, II Vittoriano. The monument is constructed of white marble and has two nicknames, the wedding cake and the giant typewriter. The piazza leads to the Roman Forum and Colosseum, and is easy walking distance by foot. During the 1920s-1940s, Piazza Venezia was the location of public speeches given by the Italian dictator Mussolini. Later in the day, we met up with photographer Oliver Blum, who led us on an evening photo tour. Our focus was ancient Rome, including the Pantheon and its interior of beautiful statues, gold hues, as well as its exterior surroundings of a bustling piazza.
The Pantheon, a former Roman Temple, was built between 113-125 AD. There are no windows inside and the ceiling has a large, very impressive oculus. The Pantheon is said to contain the tombs of the famous artist Raphael and of several Italian Kings and poets. There are Roman statues throughout. When it rains outside, water comes in through the oculus. However, the convex shape of the floor provides efficient drainage.
We next continued onto St. Peter's Basilica, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum (below). St. Peter's Basilica is located in Vatican City, but we photographed it from the grounds of Castel St Angelo. This basilica, of Renaissance architecture, was built from 1506-1626. The dome of St. Peter's Basilica has amazing exterior lighting at night which allows it to stand out among the surrounding unlit domes.
We moved to a different vantage point near Castel Sant'Angelo to capture a photo of the Basilica.
Somewhere around 500 B.C., and for centuries thereafter, the Roman Forum was the center of daily life--a site of processions, elections, public speeches, criminal trials, and gladiator matches. Today, the crumbling ruins and the history, the parts that are crumbling and the parts that crumbled a long time ago, buildings that are built on their Roman predecessors, but more importantly, the fact that Roman architecture has been somewhat preserved, all allows one to imagine what life might have been like when traveling back in the imagination of time.
The Colosseum, one of the 7 wonders of the New World, and built between 70-80 A.D., held 50,000-80,000 spectators in its day and held gladiator events in its Amphitheatre. Today, it is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions. During my first trip to Rome (n 1981) and the Colosseum, I recall seeing lots of cats roaming its interiors as I strolled throughout. During this recent trip, we didn't see any cats, but then again, we spent the time photographing the outside...and it was after sunset.
Day 3 was long, exhausting, but definitely memorable. We first went to Vatican City, was hoping to get blessed by the Pope, but instead went to the Vatican Museum, and entered the Sistine Chapel to photograph the ceilings, all painted by Michelangelo, and took exterior photos of St. Peter's Basilica during the day, as a contrast to the previous night photo.
Later in the afternoon, we went back to Rome's Piazza Navona to take in the sights, and have an early, light dinner at one of the restaurants overlooking the piazza.
Piazza Navona was great place for people-watching. We were seated at a table outside of a restaurant in the piazza, and listened to artists perform the musical score from The Godfather.
As the sun began to set on Piazza Navonna, we took a leisurely stroll through Rome to our apartment, and ended the evening with warm memories of the day.
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